“The Man From Coxs River” at Narooma

Stan Gorton5 Jun 2014, 11:15 a.m.

A DOCUMENTARY on a pack of wild horses is taking regional Australia by storm, and will thunder into the Narooma Kinema on Thursday, June 12 with a special screening and a Q&A session with the filmmakers.

“The Man From Coxs River” at Narooma

THE DIRECTOR: The director Russell Kilbey and Luke Carlon, the main protagonist in the documentary “The Man From Coxs River”.

THE DIRECTOR: The director Russell Kilbey and Luke Carlon, the main protagonist in the documentary “The Man From Coxs River”.

A DOCUMENTARY on a pack of wild horses is taking regional Australia by storm, and will thunder into the Narooma Kinema on Thursday, June 12 with a special screening and a Q&A session with the filmmakers.

“The Man From Coxs River” is the story of Luke Carlon, whose family has lived in the Burragorang Valley since the 1800s.

With the area, near Warragamba Dam, declared a wilderness area in 1987, the Carlons' business of taking horseback tours along the Coxs River was scuppered, but a job offer to remove a pack of wild brumbies from the area gave Luke a chance to reconnect with his family roots.

"It's this classic story of a guy redeeming himself, proving to his ancestors his horseman and bushman skills are still alive," said director Russell Kilbey.

"At first Luke didn't want to take the job, it was a pretty impossible task. I heard about it and talked him into letting us film him removing the horses."

Filmed over three years, Luke's job was made more difficult because the rugged bushland prevented vehicle access, meaning horses had to be broken and then herded out of the valley.

The documentary film has sold out multiple screenings in the Blue Mountains, and is now travelling the country with 40 screenings planned already.

"We thought it was just popular in the mountains because it was made near there, but it's going well in other places too," Mr Kilbey said.

"People are hungry for the story. They are naturally funny, droll Australian characters you don't see much of any more."

The “Man From Coxs River” screens at the Kinema Narooma on Thursday, June 12 at 7pm with a Q&A from the film makers after.

Then it will run at the Kinema for a week or two. Check out more at www.themanfromcoxsriver.com